*** The Health Care Programs Manual (HCPM) has been replaced by the Minnesota Health Care Programs Eligibility Policy Manual (EPM) as of June 1, 2016. Please refer to the EPM for current health care program policy information. ***

Chapter 18 - Deeming Income and Assets

Effective:  December 1, 2006

18.05.10 - Qualifying Work Quarters

Archived:  June 1, 2016 (Previous Versions)

Qualifying Work Quarters

Sponsored non-citizens who have 40 qualifying work quarters or more no longer have to deem the sponsor’s income and assets. This section provides information on how the work quarters are calculated, whose work quarters are counted and how you can verify them.

Definitions.

How are Qualifying Work Quarters Calculated?

Verifying Qualifying Work Quarters.

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Definitions

Qualifying Work Quarter .

For Social Security Administration (SSA) purposes, a qualifying work quarter is a calendar quarter during which a non-citizen had covered employment.

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How are Qualifying Work Quarters Calculated?

SSA counts the qualifying work quarters for an individual. That total not only includes the individual’s work quarters but also the work quarters of the following people:

l  The spouse. Even if the individual is divorced, or the spouse died, any work quarters the spouse earned during the marriage are counted toward the individual’s work quarters.

l  The parents. Work quarters earned by a parent when the individual was under age 18 are counted toward the individual’s work quarters.

Do not allow credit for any work quarter beginning after December 31, 1996, in which the person earning the credit also received assistance from a federal means-tested program (MFIP, TANF, Food Support, MA or SSI).

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Verifying Qualifying Work Quarters

You can verify the number of qualifying work quarters a client has through the SSA automated system, known as SVES. More information can be found in the Combined Manual.

Note:  When determining the number of work quarters, be sure not to include quarters in which the client received assistance from a federal means-tested program.

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